Animation Studio Behind Neon Genesis Evangelion Filed For Bankruptcy
In May 2024, Gainax was sued for debt collection.
On June 7, the anime studio behind Evangelion, Gainax, announced that it would file for bankruptcy with the Tokyo District Court on May 29, and the application was accepted.
The current president, Yasuhiro Kamimura, released a statement explaining the situation.
Kamimura shared that since 2012, poor management decisions like overly optimistic restaurant operations, the unplanned establishment of CG Company, high unsecured loans to executives, and failed investments have led to financial deterioration.
The company faced severe financial issues, including unpaid royalties and loan lawsuits. Furthermore, many related companies bearing the name Gainax were established by local executives.
This led to numerous resignations and the loss of the studio’s animation production capabilities. These new companies declared their disassociation from Gainax and abandoned management responsibilities.
In 2018, the long-standing representative director transferred his shares to a person with zero knowledge of film production who was later arrested for sexual misconduct.
In an attempt to resolve everything, Gainax renewed its management team in February 2020 with the support of Khara Inc.
The new team worked to understand the company’s situation and discover large borrowings, non-fulfillment of debts, and unauthorized sales or transfers of intellectual property.
Despite the team’s attempts, the presence of previous management members as shareholders, and large debts, the new team failed.
In May 2024, Gainax was sued for debt collection, followed by its filing for bankruptcy.
Founded in 1984, Gainax was responsible for many TV anime series, including:
- Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- His and Her Circumstances
- Modern Love’s Silliness
- Oruchuban Ebichu
- Mahoromatic
- Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi
- Petite Princess Yucie
- This Ugly yet Beautiful World
- He Is My Master
- Gurren Lagann
- Corpse Princess
- Hanamaru Kindergarten
- Pantry & Stocking with Garterbelt
- The Mystic Archives of Dantalian
- Medaka Box / Medaka Box Abnormal
- Stella Women’s Academy, High School Division, Class C³
- Magica Wars
- Wish Upon the Pleiades
The studio was also behind many anime films, including:
- Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise
- Nadia: The Movie
- Evangelion: Death and Rebirth
- The End of Evangelion
- Revival of Evangelion
- Cutie Honey
- Gunbuster vs. Diebuster
- Gekijōban Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
- Zero Century
Source: Livedoor
